Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, right, reacts to comments made by fellow Hall of Famer Deion Sanders during a news conference for the NFL Pro Bowl Draft on Tuesday in Hawaii. (MARCO GARCIA / AP)

Cheryl Winch, of Boulder, had Peyton Manning as quarterback and the Seattle Seahawks' defense on her fantasy team in the league sponsored by the NFL.

Perhaps not surprising, then, that she won the league's grand prize, landing in Hawaii this week to help a former NFL legend choose one of the two teams for Sunday's Pro Bowl.

Winch, 47, whose Cee's Team 3 fantasy team took first place in the NFL's fantasy league, landed in Honolulu on Tuesday, and before the day was over, was helping Deion Sanders make initial selections for his "Team Sanders," which will square off Sunday from Aloha Stadium.

The rest of the players will be picked by Sanders and Jerry Rice at 6 p.m. Thursday during a live draft carried by the NFL Network.

In order to juice up an annual contest that has seen lackluster play and viewership in recent years, the NFL has done away with the traditional NFC-AFC matchups, instead letting one of the best defensive backs and best receivers in league history draft teams from those players selected to participate in the game.

On working with the man known as "Prime Time," Winch said, "I got to shake his (Sanders') hand. But he is very transparent. He's exactly the personality that comes across in the media."

She added, "I would actually say he was a little subdued yesterday. He said, 'You know, we'll amp it up for tomorrow.' I was actually seated next to Jamaal Charles."

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Rubbing shoulders with the Kansas City Chiefs running back was a kick for her — given that Charles was the first player she drafted for her own team, ahead even of Manning, the Broncos' quarterback, who set new league records in 2013 for touchdown passes and total passing yardage.

Charles and Houston Texans defensive end J. J. Watt were the first two players Team Sanders snatched up as "team captains" on Tuesday, while Rice opted for New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn.

Cheryl Winch

Winch actually found herself at odds with Charles during the live draft event Wednesday, she said. When it came time to pick a kick returner for special teams, Winch said she knew Charles would push hard for Kansas City teammate Dexter McCluster, while she, as a big Minnesota Vikings fan, wanted to pick young speedster Cordarrelle Patterson.

The issue was diffused when the other side picked McCluster first, Winch said, allowing Patterson to join the good guys.

"I'm glad that happened," she said. "I think (Cordarrelle) is dynamic and could be a difference maker, an X-factor."

Winch, flown to Honolulu along with her partner on the NFL's dime, likes the idea of abandoning the conference-matchup approach to the Pro Bowl.

"I think, coming from a marketing perspective, they probably struggled with the traditional Pro Bowl format, in that it got a little tired. I don't think the leagues are as salient as they were a long time ago, when they came about after the (NFL-AFL) merger. I guess it serves its purpose in the league format, but I don't think there's a huge rivalry anymore."

Winch, a specialist in energy efficiency for Boulder's Cadmus Group, figures she's already a winner, regardless of the outcome of Sunday's game.

"It's lovely here," she said from her hotel in Waikiki. "They have us on a hotel right on the ocean, so I have been listening to the surf and the seagulls and the Hawaiian music. It's just a tropical paradise."

Winch was just a bit reluctant to make a Super Bowl prediction — for fear that it might upset a number of her passionate orange-and-blue-believing friends back home. But, with prodding, she took a stab.

"This is purely conjecture, but the Broncos' offense against the Seattle defense, in my mind, sort of cancels out. They are the best in the league in those two areas," Winch said.

"What I am concerned about is the Broncos' defense, and the injuries they've had. And if I had to rate the Broncos' defense against the Seattle offense, I'm leaning in the direction of Seattle, and the Seattle special teams are really good."

Her bottom line?

"I really want the Broncos to win, but because of what I'm seeing, I'm sort of leaning in the direction of thinking Seattle is going to pull it off."

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